Not long after a Canadian gentleman is hired to save a small Michigan town from extinction, he seduces every man and woman who recruited him, and is found murdered one night, shot between the eyes.

SYNOPSIS:

When PETER BRINK arrives in Willing to establish the Michigan Central Railroad’s flagship station, he’s welcomed by the BEEHIVE, the eight members of the town’s de-facto government: REBECCA and MATTHEW DAYRE, ABIGAIL and WENDELL LEED, SARA FIELD, DOC FRANCIS LOVELY, EDITH CARBLEU, and JUDGE CHARLES ROOT. Their ambition for Willing’s future rests in Peter’s hands. Because a recent fire destroyed their depot, a neighboring town is being seriously considered for the honor they’ve been seeking.

Peter is instantly mesmerized by Rebecca, whose unresponsiveness is a shock – the only rejection he’s ever experienced. However, true to form and in short order, he captivates and conquers the Judge, Doc, Edith, Abigail, Wendell, Matthew, and Sara, whom he impregnates.

Peter makes a final move on Rebecca. Confesses he’s fallen in love for the first time. She too – despite her reservations – has become enamored of him, but when Sara’s son THOMAS is born, it’s obvious to all that Peter’s the father. When Sara dies in childbirth, Rebecca agrees to raise the baby after Peter is murdered by a person unknown.

Rather than waiting until the murder is solved, members of the Beehive take a sacred oath of secrecy before the police and investigators arrive. When people turn up by the busloads for Peter’s funeral, it’s clear that he had already been through several towns before arriving in Willing.

Years later, Thomas, the spitting image of Peter, arrives in Willing to question the Beehive about the mystery surrounding his birth. Will Peter’s murderer be revealed? Or will they take their secrets to the grave?